Was this a kidnapping attempt at the Mall of the South in Jozi?

A video showcasing the attempted kidnapping of a two-year-old girl at shopping centre Mall of the South has gone viral. Jennylee Jordaan, the mother of the child posted the video of the incident, which occurred on Tuesday, on her Facebook page.

Taken from CCTV footage, the video shows Jordaan looking through a rack while her daughter sits in the trolley. In a very quick movement, a figure skulks from behind and attempts to lift Jordaan’s daughter out of the trolley. As soon as Jordaan turns around, the man puts the child back down, appearing to make as though he is adjusting her in the trolley.

Jordaan posted on Facebook that initially it hadn’t seem amiss, but she was unsettled and went back to review the store’s CCTV footage – which confirmed her worst fears.

The caption of the video read:

We always think these things will never happen to us…
In Mall of the South yesterday(26 July 2016) a man tried to take my 2 year old daughter out of my trolley, when she noticed she didn’t know the person picking her up she immediately said mommy… that’s when I looked. At that moment this man made it seem like he was helping her sit properly in the trolley. Which seemed like it could’ve been the case because she did stand up a few times in the trolley.

My instinct told me otherwise and I went to get the camera footage this morning.
My worst nightmare nearly came true… please please watch your kiddies closely in the shops… I dont know what I would have done if he’d taken her… 😔

When contacted by The Daily Vox, a Mall of the South representative said that they could not provide any comment due to the fact that the incident occurred in-store and was therefore not something the mall management could comment on.

According to SAPS Gauteng Provincial Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, kidnapping is an unusual crime in South Africa. “Kidnapping is not currently a problem. When a kidnapping happens, there is usually a certain motive. It doesn’t just happen. Unfortunately it’s usually rape, when it comes to girls and young ladies, and sometimes also for things like ransom. There aren’t any patterns though. It’s not a common crime.”

Aaisha is the Johannesburg-based senior reporter for The Daily Vox, having been a part of the team since its inception in 2014. She is currently completing her master’s degree in media studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. Her research and reporting interests include gender and representations of Muslim women in the media, although she’s covered everything from politics to polar bears.

Looking carefully at that footage, it is apparent the child is shifting around in the trolley, and appears uneasy/upset. It looks like one leg is caught underneath her. As there is no sound it is impossible to tell if she is making any noise but she does look uneasy. It also looks like the guy adjusting the kid aimed to do just that – adjust her for comfort.
While we must be careful I think this is making a mountain out of a molehill as well as indicates a racist bent.

Who can say exactly what the intention was. The comment that irritates me the most is the person trying to to put a “racist bent” on the situation. Not once was the man’s race referred to stop being a troll.